Nothoaspis reddelli
| Nothoaspis reddelli | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Subclass: | Acari |
| Order: | Parasitiformes |
| Suborder: | Ixodes |
| Family: | Argasidae |
| Genus: | Nothoaspis |
| Species: | N. reddelli |
| Binomial name | |
|
Nothoaspis reddelli Keirans & Clifford, 1975 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Carios reddelli |
|
Nothoaspis reddelli, also known as Carios reddelli, is a tick that feeds off the ghost-faced bat.
Carios reddelli
The tick was discovered in 1975 by James E. Kierans and Carleton M. Clifford in a cave located in Campeche, Mexico. The tick is very similar to those of the genus Antricola, but Nothoaspis reddelli is the only tick species with a false shield on the anterior (front) half of its body, showing it to be both a new genus and a new species.
The most common host of Nothoaspis reddelli is the insectivorous bat Mormoops megalophylla. A member of the Argasidae family, N. reddelli, has a multi-host life cycle (feeding on two or more hosts), feeding off each host to reach adulthood. After hatching, the instar finds its first host to feed upon and grows into a larva. The larva molts and develops into a nymph, which finds the second host. After feeding off and leaving its second host, N. reddelli molts once more. The nymph then feeds on a third host. This cycle is repeated for up to seven days, after which the nymph leaves its final host and molts to reach a sexually mature form. Mating and hatching of eggs occurs away from hosts. Mated females oviposit frequently, leaving multiple eggs (though fewer than 500 eggs per cycle).
Females and males differ greatly in their hypostomal dentition. Males have two pairs of setae on the pedipalps, and females have one pair. The female hood is large, spherical, and can be seen from above. Females also have an oval-shaped plate with spiracles (holes that are used to breathe), located on the underside of the abdomen near the lungs. They have a hard, smooth outer coating on the front half of their dorsal surface composed of three large pieces positioned in a triangle: one in the front and two in the back. Each of these parts has two smaller parts on each side. The back of the dorsal surface is arranged in structures similar to cells.
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Wikipedia